Alles over Linux Patch Clears the Air For Use of Microsoft's FAT Filesystem | rss feed | toevoegen | e-mail nieuwsalarm | Slashdot | 2009-07-02 16:23:13
Ars Technica is reporting that a new kernel patch may provide a workaround to allow use of Microsoft's FAT file system on Linux without paying licensing fees. "Andrew Tridgell, one of the lead developers behind the Samba project, published a patch last week that will alter the behavior of the Linux FAT implementation so that it will not generate both short and long filenames. In situations where the total filename fits within the 11-character limit, the filesystem will generate only a short name. When the filename exceeds that length, it will only generate a long name and will populate the short name value with 11 invalid characters so that it is ignored by the operating system."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/TthJXy9XRQo/Linux-Patch-Clears-the-Air-For-Use-of-Microsofts-FAT-Filesystem
Alles over Microsoft FAT Patent Fails in Germany | rss feed | toevoegen | e-mail nieuwsalarm | Neowin.net | 2007-03-15 03:21:47
While the U.S. courts recently reaffirmed Microsoft's FAT (File Allocation Table) patents, the German Patent Federal Court has just dismissed the patent for use in Germany. According to a report in the German news publication Heise Online, the court has denied the protection that the European Patent Office granted to Microsoft under EP 0618540 for a "common namespace for long and short filenames." This was based on Microsoft's U.S. Patent No. 5,758,352. The German Patent Court stated that the patent claims Microsoft made are "not based on inventive activity."FAT is a file system that Windows and other operating systems use to track the clusters of data that make up files on mass storage devices, such as hard drives or USB memory sticks. In Linux circles, it's best known for its use in the Sambaserver application. Samba enables Windows PCs to read and write files on Linux servers, and allows Linux desktops to access Windows servers. Some supporters of Linux and free software have long feared that Microsoft could use its FAT patents to attack Linux vendors and users. While Microsoft has never done so, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has often made claims that Linux "uses [Microsoft's] intellectual property." Link: Forum Discussion News source: eWEEK Read full story...
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/neowin-main/~3/101721235/index.php
Alles over Two Major Linux Groups Merge to Fight Microsoft | rss feed | toevoegen | e-mail nieuwsalarm | Neowin.net | 2007-01-24 08:49:53
Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) and the Free Standards Group (FSG) have merged to form the Linux Foundation. Jim Zemlin, FSG's executive director, will be in charge of the new company. He announced Tuesday the final steps to combine the companies are currently taking place. Zemlin believes that since now Linux has established its presence as an operating system for embedded, desktop, and server systems - OSDL and FSG's mission, which began in 2000, has been achieved. Linux Foundation will now aim to help the Linux community more effectively compete with its primary rival, Microsoft. Read on: PC World Read full story...
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/neowin-main/~3/80367191/index.php
Alles over DRM Hole Sets Patch Speed Record For Microsoft | rss feed | toevoegen | e-mail nieuwsalarm | Slashdot | 2006-09-07 23:23:34
puppetman writes "Wired columnist Bruce Schneier has an article up called 'Quickest Patch Ever', about a patch that was issued within three days to fix a vulnerability in Windows Digital Rights Management (DRM)." From the article: "Now, this isn't a 'vulnerability' in the normal sense of the word: digital rights management is not a feature that users want. Being able to remove copy protection is a good thing for some users, and completely irrelevant for everyone else. No user is ever going to say: 'Oh no. I can now play the music I bought for my PC on my Mac. I must install a patch so I can't do that anymore.' But to Microsoft, this vulnerability is a big deal. It affects the company's relationship with major record labels. It affects the company's product offerings. It affects the company's bottom line. Fixing this 'vulnerability' is in the company's best interest; never mind the customer."
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/20202669/article.pl
